Air conditioning system



ci 'une 2 3, 1931. B ms AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 25, 1928 l INVENTOR.

[17 7 EM By =1 7w ATTORNEY June 23, 1931. BANNlSTER 1,811,378

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 25, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fo- J E 1 I J q 5 7 INVEAfTOK.

ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 191 1 UNITED STATES BRYANT BANNISTER, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA AIR) CONDITIONING SYSTEM Application filed January 25, 1928. Serial No. 249,346.

This invention relates to air conditioning and more particularly to an air conditioning apparatus for use in connection with residences or the like.

An object of this invention is to provide an air conditioning apparatus of such construction and arrangement as to be capable of practical employment in connection with residences and other similar buildings.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the type set forth capable of use for either heating or cooling the air being circulated through the building, as. desired.

A still further object is to provide an air conditioning apparatus of simple construction which will be cheap to manufacture and operate. I

These and other objects which will be apparentto those skilled in this particular art are accomplished by means of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic sectional view of an air conditioning apparatus constructed in accordance with 5 one embodiment of this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the. line 22 of Fig. 1.

line 3-3 thereof and Fig 4 is a diagrammatic layout of an automatic control mecha- 3 nism for the'apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 when the latter is employed as an air heater or furnace.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an air conditioning apparatus or system especially adapted for use in connection with residences and the like and of such construction and arrangement as to supply the associated building with warmed air, properly humidified and free from suspended matter during the cool seasons, and for supplying cooled air, properly cleaned and humidified, during the warm seasons of the 'year. The system includes a heat exchanger which is capable of use either as an air heater or an air cooler, whichever may be desired. Mechanism is employed for forcing air through the heat exchanger and distributing system, and a filter is preferably associated therewith for the purpose of removing sus- 9 pended matter from the air. A humidifying ing is thus assured. As

Fig. 3 is a similar view on the device is employed, preferably in connection with the distributing system, and an automatic control for governing the operation of the heat exchanger, when the latter is employed as an air heater or furnace, is provided.

The particular embodiment of this invention which has been chosen for purposes of illustration includes a heat exchanger constructed and arranged so as to employ a closed, fluid containing, heat transferring system for heating the air, when the device is used as a furnace, by the so-called indirect method so that the air at no time comes into contact with the products of combustion, and the purity of the air delivered to the buildillustrated, the system includes a heat exchanger 5 provided with a header 6 with which fluid containing tubes 7 cooperate to provide a closed fluid cir- 7o cuit as, for example, by having their opposite ends communicating directly with the interior of the header. For this purpose the tubes may be mounted in a tube sheet 8 forming one wall of the header chamber.

For the purpose of employing the indirect method of heating the air to be dis tributed through the associated building, the closed system is raised in temperature to the desired extent by having heat applied to a portion thereof. The circulation set up within the closed fluid system by this operation transmits this heat to the other portion thereof where it is extracted by contact with the air being forced through the heat exchanger and the distributing system. Heat from any desired source may be employed in this connection, but, as illustrated, suitable burners 11 are positioned within the burner chamber 13 of the heat exchanger below the {)2 tube nest, and baffles 12 are associated with the heating chamber 12' so as to direct the heating gases through that portion of the tube nest to an outlet 14 provided with a draft controlling damper 15.

An air inlet box, 16 leads to an air passage 17 in the heat exchanger provided with bafiies 18 for directing air through that portion of the tube nest which is shut off from the passage 12 for the heating gases. A distrib- 100 outlet 33 are closed after a suitable amount uting system 19 communicates with the air outlet 20 of the heat exchanger for the purpose of conveying the heated air to theVa-rious damper controlled outlets 21 located throughout the building. As illustrated, an air outlet box 22 is associated with each air outlet 21 and these boxes may be of any desiredornamental type of construction. Preferably, air humidifying devices 23 of any suitable construction are positioned within the air outlet boxes for the purpose of properly humidifying the air being delivered therethrough. It will, 'of course, be apparent that these humidifying devices may be located in other portions of the distributing'system, as desired. Means such'as a fan 24 forces changer and delivers it to the various outlets, and the air strainer 25 is placed in the air inlet box 16. The inlet 26 to the air inlet box is preferably controlled by a suitable damper 27.

The air inlet box is provided with a second inlet 28 which, as illustrated, communicates with the heating passage 12 through which the products of combustion flow from the burner chamber 13, when the arrangement is employed as a heater. The second air inlet 28 is controlled by a damper 29 and the operating arms of the air inlet dampers 27 and 29 are preferably so connected that when one damper is opened the other will be closed.

As a result of this construction, the heat exchanger 5 may be employed for the purpose of either heating the air being distributed through the distributing system or for cooling the same. The outlet 14 for the products of combustion is provided with a damper controlled opening 30 through which air may be drawn when the device is being used for cooling purposes.

The opposite ends'of the'tubes are sepa rated by a suitable baflie 31 within the header 6 so that water entering the header-through an inlet 32, controlled by a suitable valve (not shown) will be directed through the tubes 7 to an outlet 33, also controlled by a suitable valve (not shown) when it is desired to employ the heat exchanger as a cooling device. When, on the contrary, the device is being used for the purpose of heating air, the inlet 32 and outlet 33 are, of course, closed so as to permit the proper vaporization and circulation of-a heating medium through the closed system formed by the header 6 and tubes 7.

When the system is being employed for heating purposes, the air inlet 28 is closed and the air inlet 26 is opened by suitably positioning the cooperating inlet controlling dampers 27 and 29. The water inlet 32 and of water has been supplied to the header and tubes. The air inlet 30 in the outlet pipe 14 is closed so that the gases of combustion may heating c the air through the heat exflow to the proper point of discharge. The burners 11 heat the water or steam within that portion of-the tubes 7 positioned in the heating compartment 12 of the heat exchanger. As a result of this heating, a circulation of fluid, water or steam, is set up in the closed system formed by the header 6 and tubes 7, so that heat is conveyed to that portion of the tubes situated within the air hamber 17 of the heat exchanger. Air is forced through this chamber by any desired means such, for example, as the fan 24, and is delivered from this chamber through the outlet 20 to the air distributing system 19 by means of which it is conveyed to the various points desired throughout the associated building. The air is subjected to the moistening action of the humidifiers 23 which may be placed as desired. As a re?- suit, the air which is distributed throughout moistened and freed of all suspended matter.

If it is desired to deliver cooled air throughout the building, the air inlet 26 is closed and the inlet 28 is opened by positioning the dampers 27 and 29 as illustrated in Fig. 1. The cool air inlet 30 in the pipe 14 is opened and the water inlet 32 and outlet 33 are also opened, so asto permit water to flow through the tubes 7, such flow being insured by the baflie 31 which is of a suflicient height to prevent direct flow of water from the inlet 32 to the outlet 33. With this arrangement, air is drawn downwardly through the compartment 12 and burner chamber 13 to the air inlet box 16, passing upwardly through thechainber 17 to the air distributing system 19 by means of which it is conveyed to the desired point. With this arrangement cooled, cleaned and properly moistened air is delivered throughout the building.

A pressure tap or safety valve 34 is associated with the header 6 for limiting the pressure generated therein during heating.

Mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of the burners 11 when the device is used for heating purposes is provided. In Fig. 4 I have illustrated one form of control mechanism. An electric circuit 35 supplies the fan 24 with current. Magnetically operated valves 36 are provided for each burner 11 and the burner controls are connected to and parallel with the fan circuit 35 by lines 37 and 38. Each line 38 is connected to a movable contact 39 mounted upon one end of a lever 40 adapted to be oscillated by an operating stem 41 which is responsive to the steam pressure in the header 6, a spring 42 maintainingbthe lever in contact therewith. Adjusta le contacts 43 are mounted on a movable supporting bar 44, mounted at one end upon a pivot pin 45 and adjusted to position by a suitable screw 46. Lines 47 connect the stationary contacts 44 with the main line 35 through additional adjustable contacts 48, which are connected to or disconnected fromthe main line by a cooperating temperature responsive contact bar 49 so mounted that movement thereof causes successive making or breaking of the different contacts. The pressure responsiveswitches 39 and 43 are also arranged so that movement of the lever 40 in response to the variations of the pressure in the header 6 causes successive opening and closing of the associated switches.

The thermostatically controlled switches 48 are positioned in that part of the associated building subjected to the heating effect of the system, while the pressure controlled switches, are, of course, located immediately adjacent to the heat exchanger 5. A dual control of the operation of the burners 11 is thus acquired. As the temperature of the associated building increases, the thermostatic contact 4:9 is raised, see Fig. 4:, so as to successively cut oil the current from the various burners, while cooling of the building results in the successive turning on of the various burners, the exact temperature at which the various contacts are made being determined by the individual adjustments thereof. The pressure responsive switches are operated in the same way by variations of the pressure in the header 6 and prevent the generation of too great a pressure therein. The thermostatically controlled switches .are so arranged, see Fig. 4, thatthe same burner is the first to be operated and the last to be cut ofi' by either device: In other words, the successive operation of the burners themselves is the same regardless of which control element is functioning.

The particular form of the above described control mechanism forms no part of the present invention but will be described and claimed in a separate application. Obviogsly any form of control desired may be use 1 Although I have described a particular embodiment of the present invention in spe cific detail, it will be apparent that various changes, additions, substitutions and omissions can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the ap ended claims.

. at claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A heat exchange apparatus including a header, a tube sheet associated therewith, a plurality of U shaped tubes supported in said sheet and opening into said header, a housing for said tubes, a partition associated with said tubes and cooperating with said housing so thahone leg of each of said tubes is located in one compartment and the other leg of each of said tubes islocated in the other compartment, means for passing air through one of said compartments in contact with said tubes and a heating mechanism located in said housing and associated with the other of said compartments for passing a heating medium therethrough.

2. A heat exchange apparatus including a housing, a header associated with said housing, a partition in said housing forming separate compartments therein, a plurality of tubes each extending through each of said compartments and cooperating with said header to provide a closed circulatory sys tem, heat generating mechanism located in one of said compartments for delivering heat to the tube sections extending therethrough so as to set up convection currents through said tubes and said header, and means for passing air through the other of said compartlnents so as to extract heat from the tube sections extendin therethrough.

In testimony whereoi I have hereunto subscribed my name this 23rd day of January,

BRYANT BANNISTER. 

